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In:First Language Acquisition in Finno-Ugric Languages
Edited by Minna Kirjavainen, Ágnes Lukács and Virve-Anneli Vihman
[Trends in Language Acquisition Research 33] 2025
► pp. 198–231

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The acquisition of Hungarian phonology

 | Eötvös Loránd University
Published online: 13 October 2025
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https://doi.org/10.1075/tilar.33.07tar
Abstract
This chapter examines the acquisition of Hungarian phonology, addressing both segmental and suprasegmental aspects. It draws on evidence from cross-sectional studies as well as diary-based observations. Following a brief overview of Hungarian phonology, the chapter discusses the ages at which target phonological forms are typically acquired, describes the main characteristics of non-adult-like realizations, and highlights specific challenges posed by complex phonological forms. The analysis primarily relies on transcription data, supplemented by some instrumental methods. Through cross-linguistic comparisons, the chapter identifies both patterns common to the acquisition of English phonology, such as the early acquisition of nasals and vowels, and language-specific features of Hungarian phonological development, such as the early integration of prosodic and phonemic information during stress processing and the occurrence of prevocalic devoicing.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction to Hungarian phonology
  • 2.The acquisition of segmental phonology
    • 2.1Notes on the acquisition of vowels
    • 2.2Pathways of consonant acquisition
      • 2.2.1Age of acquisition
      • 2.2.2Effects of age, word position and segment type on phonemic accuracy
      • 2.2.3Non-adult realisations
        • 2.2.3.1Segmental phonological patterns
        • 2.2.3.2Phonetic substitution
      • 2.2.4Within-child variability in consonant production
      • 2.2.5Developmental trajectories of challenging sound classes
        • 2.2.5.1Acquisition of affricates
        • 2.2.5.2The acquisition of /r/
    • 2.3Development of word-initial plosive voicing: Patterns of VOT acquisition
  • 3.The acquisition of phonotactics: Consonant clusters
    • 3.1Transcription-based analyses of accuracy and phonological patterns
      • 3.1.1Accuracy
      • 3.1.2Phonological patterns
    • 3.2Preliminary findings from acoustic analyses focusing on mismatches
      • 3.2.1Duration of epenthetic vowels
      • 3.2.2Vowel length before deleted consonants
  • 4.Acquisition of suprasegmental phonology
    • 4.1Characteristics of stress processing: Insights from electrophysiological studies
    • 4.2The emergence of stress and intonation in speech production
    • 4.3Prosodic errors in early child speech
  • 5.Effects on phonological development: The role of sex in consonant acquisition
  • 6.Summary
  • 7.Future directions
  • References
References (75)
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